Silence
by WillowwindTheCat
Summary: She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.She can't talk to anyone about it.She must be even more solitary than she already is.Now she's suffering the trauma.Follow Willowwind's story in her struggle to face her fear and stop something horrid from happening. Inspired by "Speak" written by Laurie Halse Anderson.Rated T for gore and possible themes.
1. Prologue

**Silence**

**(A/N: I don't own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. I only own Willowwind and all of the cats in this story. Yes, I know I should work on my other stories, but I've become addicted to Warriors again. Anyway, Enjoy!)**

**Prologue**

Willowwind was lying in her own blood, staring blankly at the darkness before her. The crimson liquid stained her long, bluish-grey coat. Her eyes, green as leaves in the summer, were stinging with tears. But she didn't cry. She was silent. Crying would do nothing for her. It had lasted a few heartbeats, but it felt like an eternity. She could still hear the laughter in her ears…the cruel, pitiless laughter. Willowwind pushed herself up slightly, but paused as the searing pain of her wounds shot through her body. The worst wound was a gash on the back of her head, when they rammed her head into a sharp rock. It stung like mad. But Willowwind wouldn't go to Sheepcoat. No, then there'd be questions…He'd want to know what happened. Willowwind couldn't say what happened, she just couldn't. Maybe she could heal herself. She watched Sheepcoat heal cats many times, and she was smart enough to learn the herbs he used. It was better than going to camp.

Finally managing to gather her strength, Willowwind got to her paws. Her tongue lightly touched a cut on her lip, and she winced. She wished she had been somewhere else 15 minutes ago. She walked into the forest undergrowth, her fluffy tail dragging lazily in the dirt. She needed water to clean her wounds before they got infected. Maybe the search would distract her from what had happened. But deep within her, she had her doubts.

She came across the river that cut through TreeClan territory, and slowly stepped into it. She slowly draped water over her bloody wounds, and they stung. She kept quiet though. She tried to forget what happened, and put her focus on cleaning her wounds. But their voices kept popping up in her head.

"_Tell anyone, and we'll gut you like a pitiful little mouse,_" they had threatened her.

The fur on Willowwind's spine stood up, and her eyes widened, and her breathing quickened. No, no, she told herself, calm down, you'll be ok. Part of her didn't believe this, though. She wouldn't go to camp to sleep tonight. She'd find a little area outside to sleep. Maybe under a bush where no one could see her? That could work.

After lightly shaking off the excess water (moving so she could handle as much of the pain she could stand), Willowwind went to find some goldenrod, daisy leaves, cobwebs, and marigolds. This took her a little while, and it was really getting late. Willowwind yawned. As soon as she fixed herself up, she was finding a bush to sleep under. Soon, she did find what she was looking for, and, keeping to the promise she made to herself, she was under a bush and dead to the world in seconds.


	2. Chapter 1

**Silence**

**Chapter 1**

It was not uncommon for Willowwind to be solitary and quiet. It was not unlike her to be away from the others, watching from a distance. While this was common, it wasn't entirely accepted. Some of the other kits teased her for her silent behavior and intelligent mind, which they continued to do to this day. Many called these cats envious. Anyway, Willowwind was expected to be the way she was. But, something just wasn't right about today. She was even quieter as usual. It was already odd that she didn't come into the warrior's den to sleep that night; but when she came back in, she had no excuse as to where she was, or why she hadn't come back to camp last night. She retreated to the bushes, barely visible in the shrubberies. She couldn't be seen. Her Clanmates would want to talk to her, and start to ask questions. _They'd _find out, and confront her. Willowwind's heart began to pound, and her breath began to quicken at the thought of what _they _would do to her if the Clan found out.

Calm down, Willowwind, she thought in her head. But she couldn't calm down, not until she smacked herself multiple times in the head to distract herself. Luckily, she succeeded, and sighed in relief. She watched the TreeClan cats enjoying themselves. Willowwind frowned bitterly. They didn't have secrets that haunted them in their nightmares. Her eyes were starting to droop. She hadn't much sleep that night, and she mentally braced herself for more nights such as that. She saw the TreeClan leader, Lichenstar, exit the den. Willowwind took in a sharp breath. Lichenstar was one of her greatest enemies in the Clan, as she was one of the kits who tortured her growing up. But nowadays, their rivalry had grown even greater…

The calico leader hopped onto the TallRock at the center of the camp. She raised her muzzle and called out to her Clan:

"Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather under the TallRock for a Clan meeting."

Willowwind decided to stay in the safety of the bushes. She wasn't in the mood to be pestered by Lichenstar. She could still hear the meeting from there. Cats gathered before the TallRock, ready for the meeting to start. Lichenstar's amber eyes searched the crowd.

"Where is…Willowwind?" she asked, the tone in her voice sending a shiver down her spine.

A tom named Harestomp sniffed near the bushes, and pointed her out, causing her to curse mentally. "Here she is, Lichenstar."

"Come on out here, Willowwind," said the leader in a "kind" voice.

Harestomp flashed Willowwind an ugly smile, and Willowwind thought of last night. In fear, she quickly moved out of the bushes, and away from the tom. She sat near a tabby named Minkfang.

"Oh, my dear Willowwind, you weren't trying to hide from us, were you?" Lichenstar purred.

Willowwind shook her head, begging StarClan to turn her invisible. Minkfang brushed his tail across her shoulder.

"Let's get on with that meeting, Lichenstar," he mewed.

Lichenstar reluctantly agreed, only because he was an elder, and she wanted to appear respectful. Willowwind flashed the old tom a grateful smile.

"Orangepaw, Swiftpaw, and Lakepaw, step forward," began Lichenstar.

The three apprentices stepped forward.

"Do you three cats promise to serve the Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"We do."

"Orangepaw, I name you Orangeflame. Swiftpaw, I name you Swiftfield. And Lakepaw, I name you Lakeshimmer."

The three new warriors had their names chanted.

"Spottedkit, and Quailkit, step forward," meowed Lichenstar.

The three sibling kits obeyed their leader.

"Spottedkit, I now name you, Spottedpaw. Iceshard will be your mentor."

Spottedpaw stood beside Iceshard, the TreeClan deputy. They touched noses.

Quailkit, I now name you Quailpaw. Willowwind will be your mentor."

"M-Me!?" exclaimed Willowwind, surprising everyone. "Oh, no…I couldn't, I'm not mentor material…"

"Oh, but you are," Lichenstar replied. "And you will be."

Willowwind swallowed as Lichenstar gave her a penetrating stare, and her heart began to race once again. Without warning, she felt a liquid trickle down her legs. She heard kits yell in disgust, and heard some cats snickering. Willowwind was frozen solid, sitting in her own urine. Smirking with pride, Lichenstar retreated to her den. The cats went their separate ways…all except Willowwind. She still sat there, wide-eyed, and wet-legged. She felt so embarrassed, so unclean, and so pathetic. She wished she could just say what she needed to say and be done with it. Finally, Sheepcoat went to her side.

"Come with me," he whispered.

Not really agreeing to go, she was half-forced to leave the Clearing, and to the river to clean up.

"Hey, you ok?" asked the Medicine Cat. "You seemed a little…on edge today. What's wrong?"

Willowwind flashed him a smile, and shook her head.

"You sure?" Sheepcoat said seriously.

"Mmm," replied Willowwind, nodding.

"Ok," mewed Sheepcoat softly. "But remember, I here to talk if you need me. That's what Clan members are for. Hey, are you going to the Gathering tonight?"

"Mmm-hmm," Willowwind murmured.

"That's nice. I hope they discuss something interesting tonight."

Willowwind nodded in agreement, before turning to make her leave. Sheepcoat, knowing what this meant, was ready to go his separate ways as well, when he saw the scars on her back. Alarmed, he put his paw on her flank to stop her.

"Willowwind…how did you get those scars?" he asked carefully.

Willowwind's pupils narrowed slightly, and she pulled away. Her heart was starting to beat faster. She tried to sneak away into the undergrowth, but Sheepcoat wasn't letting her get away. He stepped in front of her.

"Willowwind," he meowed firmly. "Talk to me. I know it's something you don't do much, but no cat can get these scars without getting attacked by something. Tell me what hurt you. We can tell Lichenstar and she'll have it chased off the territory before it hurts more cats."

"Mmm-mmm!" Willowwind mumbled, but in a way that gave away her terror.

"Willow-" Sheepcoat began again, but Willowwind slipped away, and vanished into the undergrowth. The sheer thought of the scars, and what could've happened if she spoke caused the pain to come back. She collapsed near a patch of berry bushes…deathberry bushes…She didn't seem to noticed them, as she was too busy holding back her sobs.

"Willowwind!" she heard a cat meow. She cringed, thinking it to be Sheepcoat. But then she heard the soft, high-pitched voice of Quailpaw. Still, she kept quiet, and lied still. She didn't want to talk to anyone.

But, as fate would have it, Quailpaw found her, her sunny eyes shimmering with excitement for training.

"There you are!" Quailpaw purred.

"…Here I am…" Willowwind muttered in reply.

"The other apprentices were laughing at you for wetting yourself," explained the young cat. "But I don't care! You're the smartest cat I know! So ha on those other apprentices for having dumber mentors!"

That was exactly what I needed to hear, thought Willowwind with a roll of her eyes.

"Are you gonna take me with you to the Gathering tonight?" meowed the long-furred apprentice, her eyes literally begging. Willowwind felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards; she couldn't say no to a face so silly.

"Alright," she mewed. "Tomorrow you begin training."

"Thank you Willowwind!" exclaimed Quailpaw.

Willowwind nodded, and stretched out her paw. She waggled her paw slightly, as to say, "Please leave me." Getting the hint, Quailpaw was off, leaving Willowwind to return to the internal pain she was starting to drown in.


	3. Chapter 2

**Silence**

**Chapter 2**

"I should stay here…" Willowwind said to herself as she paced in a small corner in the warrior's den that evening. "But I told Quailpaw I'd take her. I wouldn't look like a good mentor if I hurt her like that."

She her mind wandered to the other night. She'd meet the same cats from before again. They'd be watching her. Willowwind couldn't face that pressure again. But then another thought came to her. Lichenstar had called her out before when she was hiding during the Clan meeting. Maybe the same will happen. With a depressed sigh, she took in the awful realization. Sure enough, the scent of Lichenstar filled her nose.

Please, no, thought Willowwind as the shadow of Lichenstar fell over her.

"If there are any warriors in here, come out," meowed the leader. "It's time to go to the Gathering."

Reluctantly, Willowwind followed the other warriors in the den outside. She felt the fiery stare of Lichenstar pierce her pelt. She felt Lichenstar sneak her paw over to a scar on Willowwind's hip, and scratch it. Willowwind bit her tongue, and prayed to StarClan that this night would go by quickly. When that Gathering was over, she was bolting back to TreeClan territory.

The Clan began to head to the place of the Gathering: the Stone Field, which was a quarry-like area where the Clan leaders addressed the other cats from a stone ledge above the rocky clearing. It was located across the Thunderpath, near TreeClan and GrassClan territory.

At the moment, Willowwind was traveling alongside Minkfang and Quailpaw, helping them both to cross the Thunderpath. GrassClan was traveling alongside TreeClan, and not far behind was MistClan, and SwampClan. Willowwind listened to an excited Quailpaw as she meowed about all of the friends she could make, but Willowwind was too distracted to completely listen. However, she did genuinely try to be invested.

"Calm down, Quailpaw," she mewed softly. "You might get too excited and smash your nose into something. It's already squished in far enough."

"Ha, ha, very funny," scoffed Quailpaw as she absentmindedly touched her muzzle.

Willowwind barely managed to smile at her.

The Clans gathered in the Stone Field, and at first, idle chat between cats were held, as usual. But this Gathering was different for Willowwind. Before the events of last night, she would usually either stay at camp, or sit near the other cats, grooming herself to pass the time until the leaders spoke. But now, she was as far from the others as she could possibly stay without getting them curious. She was half-hidden behind a stone, shivering in terror. She didn't want to talk to anyone or see anyone that would trigger painful memories. She let out a breath, and looked around. She spotted Harestomp pulling aside a tom and a she-cat from the other Clans. These cats Willowwind remembered well. Immediately, she looked away, but her eyes flickered back. They were watching her! She cursed mentally, and closed her eyes.

"Please keep them away StarClan…" she begged under her breath. "Please, not again. Please, please, please, please…" A tear trickled down her cheek because she was so terrified. But, thankfully, they didn't come. Willowwind tried her best to lower her fast beating heart.

The Gathering officially started a short time later. Lichenstar smiled down gently at the other cats, a mask that had managed to fool them all, and gain their general trust…well, most of them. Willowwind could see through Lichenstar's lies, and so did some colleagues of the leader's…

"I wish to speak first, if that's alright," Lichenstar mewed.

"Of course you may speak first," replied Frosttail, the MistClan deputy (who had to take his leader's place for the Gathering due to her becoming sick).

"Thank you," the calico she-cat meowed, nodding to him. "I wish to begin by announcing that today, TreeClan has gained three new warriors, and two new apprentices."

Cats murmured in approval. Willowwind shuddered at the sickening reality of the matter.

"We'd also like to thank SwampClan for allowing us their herbs last moon," Lichenstar continued. "In return, we grant you hunting rights in TreeClan territory until the next Gathering."

The SwampClan cats were very pleased to hear this, but the TreeClan cats were a bit worried.

"My leader," mewed Iceshard. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Iceshard," Lichenstar replied. "I will personally regulate these hunts, to make sure that we are still able to survive. Besides, it's Greenleaf. The prey is running well for us."

With a nod, Iceshard was seated.

Willowwind had a very bad feeling about these "hunts" that Lichenstar was talking about.

Crimsonstar, the SwampClan leader beamed widely

"Thank you for such a kind repayment, Lichenstar," he said with a casual twitch of his whiskers. "Now, as for SwampClan, we have five new warriors, and one of our finest warriors, Tinytail, has become an elder."

Next up, was Frosttail.

"MistClan has gained two new warriors, and a pair of queens has given birth to healthy litters."

Last was Leafstar, of GrassClan.

"The prey is running well. I have nothing more to say about my Clan."

This statement caused a spark to show in Lichenstar's eyes, and she secretly met Crisonstar's eyes. A silent, mental conversation was held between them, before they looked away from each other. The Gathering was soon at its end, and the cats of each Clan were headed their separate ways. Immediately, Willowwind was already bolting across the Thunderpath, and into the forest that was TreeClan territory. But suddenly, as she ran, a cat suddenly slammed into her body and pinned her down. A familiar voice purred in her ear.

"Where you going?" the voice demanded. Harestomp! Willowwind swallowed.

"B-Back to c-c-camp…" she stuttered.

"I'll be watching you go," Harestomp warned, his hot breath blowing on Willowwind's neck and making her very uncomfortable. "You keep that pretty mouth shut."

Willowwind nodded obediently, wishing she could just turn into venomous snake and kill him. Harestomp let her go, and watched her, hidden in the bushes. With a dragging tail and slowly diminishing spirit, Willowwind headed to camp.


	4. Chapter 3

**Silence**

**Chapter 3**

**(I may turn this fanfic into an animated series on YouTube. I've made a video already. PM me if you'd like the link.)**

Willowwind had only just gotten to sleep the next dawn, when the needle sharp teeth of Quailpaw bit into her ear. The she-cat's eyes, weary and dazed, opened to see her white-furred apprentice. Willowwind glowered at her for a few short seconds, but then her expression softened, and a small smile formed on her face. She remembered when she was Quailpaw's age, eager to get training (although Willowwind usually sat by her mentor's bedding early in the morning and waited for him to wake up, rather than force him awake like Quailpaw did).

"Ok, ok, Quailpaw," Willowwind murmured. "I'm awake. Now stop biting me."

"Yay!" cheered Quailpaw, darting out of the warrior's den.

"Yay…" repeated Willowwind in a less enthusiastic tone. She walked to Quailpaw's side and looked around. She saw some other Clan cats near the camp entrance, led by Iceshard. Iceshard spotted them, and came towards the two she-cats.

"Morning, Willowwind," The tom greeted. "Morning, Quailpaw. It's a good thing I've come across you both. I was just going to wake up some cats for the morning patrol, but you two may be just fine. If you wouldn't mind, would you join us?"

Willowwind and Quailpaw both nodded in reply, and, with that, they joined the rest of the patrol, consisting of Nightleopard, her apprentice, Greypaw, Ringtail, and Gingerflecks. The patrol was on its way into the forest. Willowwind's eyes wandered around the forest. She felt a little bit at ease, but she still felt incredibly tired. Her vision was slightly blurred, and for a moment, she thought she saw cats watching her from the undergrowth. Willowwind's eyes widened with a gasp. She shook her head, and dared to look again. No cats. With a shudder, Willowwind returned her gaze to the trail ahead. Quailpaw noticed Willowwind's behavior.

"Willowwind, what's wrong?" she meowed, tilting her head.

"Nothing," lied Willowwind. "Just a bit tired…"

"Tired of sticking her nose where she doesn't belong…" whispered Ringtail to Gingerflecks, but quietly, so no one else could hear them.

"Maybe Sheepcoat can give you some poppy seeds when you have time for a nap?" suggested a concerned Iceshard.

"I'll be sure to do that," Willowwind mewed.

* * *

The rest of the trip to the border was silent. The border was checked and remarked. The patrol came across no other Clan's patrols. All the while, Willowwind constantly felt as if she was being watched.

After the patrol was over, Willowwind and Quailpaw remained in the forest to begin their first lesson. The forest was starting to turn lively and bright as the rising sun bathed it in a healthy glow.

"What will we learn first, mentor?" asked Quailpaw.

"I'll teach you to hunt first," Willowwind replied. She looked at her long, spindly legs. "Fighting will come later. I have my own techniques when it comes to battle that suit me. It will be less complicated if I teach you hunting first."

"Ok," mewed the apprentice.

"Now, what all hunters do first at the very beginning of the hunt is to taste the air for a scent," Willowwind instructed. "Follow my lead."

Willowwind lifted her upper lip, letting scents come to her. Mouse…she picked up the scent of mouse…She watched as Quailpaw mimicked her actions.

"You've had a mouse before, right?" she asked.

"My parents gave me some mouse when I was still a kit."

"Do you remember the scent?"

"Yes."

"Let the scent come to you."

Quailpaw let the scents come to her, tasting the scent Willowwind had also picked up.

"I got it, Willowwind," meowed Quailpaw. "What now?"

"Follow the scent," Willowwind murmured, her voice soft and distant like a light breeze.

Quailpaw padded in the direction of the scent, her pawsteps thumping against the forest floor.

"Hold on," Willowwind mewed, placing her paw on Quailpaw's flank. "The prey will hear you if you are too loud. Crouch, like this."

Willowwind demonstrated a crouch, which Quailpaw copied.

"Now, walk silently, keeping your belly close to the ground."

Willowwind showed her apprentice the method of hunting, and Quailpaw repeated her actions. The pair of she-cats came across the mouse they had smelled. Willowwind looked at Quailpaw.

"Now, creep up behind that mouse, and when you get close enough, you pounce on him, and make the kill."

Quailpaw's paws stepped quietly on the dusty ground, and Quailpaw came as close as she could to the mouse. But then, the mouse turned its head, spotting Quailpaw. With a squeak, it was starting to flee, but Quailpaw pounced, and snagged it with her paw. She finished it off quickly.

"I did it!" she cheered happily.

"Yes," Willowwind said with a gentle purr. "Now, you must thank StarClan for its life."

"Oh, yeah," Quailpaw mewed. "My mother told me I'd have to do something like that." She bowed her head and muttered a prayer. "Can I eat it now?"

Willowwind shook her head.

"It is against the Warrior Code for an apprentice to eat their kill after catching it," explained the blue she-cat. "You must take it to camp for one who is unable to hunt."

"Oh….yes, Willowwind."

"Come on, dear. There may be some other prey you can eat back at camp."

The pair made it back to camp, and parted ways, Quailpaw going to get herself some prey to eat, and Willowwind going to get poppy seeds from Sheepcoat.


	5. Chapter 4

**Silence**

**Chapter 4**

The next few days could be described in this way for Willowwind: Everyday, Willowwind felt _them_ near, and _their_ eyes watching her, silently daring her to utter a word. She had a tendency to nibble her lip, and would even draw blood from it. Sheepcoat would approach her in concern, but, out of the fear of _them_ catching her say something she would regret, she would push him away.

But it didn't stop there. Oh no, that was merely the beginning.

Now, dirty stares and harsh whisperings rose against her in the clan, even from those cats that Willowwind had little to no interaction with her whole life. But now, something, a virus, Willowwind compared it to, was slowly causing her to be an outcast.

Why is this happening?

Who started this cruel behavior?

Why won't it stop?

Willowwind frequently wondered such questions. Not even her days of training Quailpaw kept her head clear for long. Willowwind did her best to remain calm under such pressures and fears, but they continued to close in on her, killing her from within. She just needed to yell out what she knew and then run for her life. No…_they'd _catch her. _They_ did it before, _they_ can do it again. Willowwind felt trapped.

One day, she decided to let out some of the pain and fear the only way she could. She snuck out of camp one Greenleaf night. She padded softly through the night. It was a routine thing for Willowwind to go on night walks such as this, and her paranoia of being watched was, of course, keeping her maw shut. She didn't hum or sing to calm herself. No…bad things could happen. Willowwind didn't want to take that risk.

She walked along the dark forest path, not stopping until cold river water touched her paws. She let out a grimace of a smile, and sat in the shallow end of the river. She lifted her forepaws, one touching the wrist area of the other. Her claws silently slipped out, and in seconds, she felt the sickly-sweet pain of her self-inflicted cut. She hissed slightly, but quickly bit her lip. Gently she swayed, back and forth, letting the pain numb away into nothing. She moved her paw further up her arm, and, another scratch had been formed. Drops of scarlet seeped into the soft, shimmering river water. Willowwind's eyes rolled up to the stars, seeing StarClan looking down at her. Her grimace grew. Could they see what this torture was doing to her!? Were they just going to sit there like bumbling idiots!?

"Huh…"Willowwind sighed, her eyes returning to the ground.

Her cutting process lasted a few more nicks, before Willowwind had enough.

No, she told herself, it would never be enough. Willowwind ignored such thoughts.

* * *

Willowwind had forgotten falling asleep. She was still in her sitting position in the water. The water surrounding her was tinted red with blood. With a shudder, she exited the water. She felt numb now. She was lucky she hadn't bleed out during the night. Willowwind wasn't suicidal…not like her father was. Willowwind remembered her father, and her eyes shimmered lightly. Both her father and mother were StarClan cats. Willowwind couldn't believe that her own parents wouldn't help her.

In a daze, Willowwind traveled through the undergrowth. She could scent familiar cats…but at the moment didn't give two rat's tails who they were….at least, not until she heard voices.

"What do you make of this, Sheepcoat?" mewed a voice that Willowwind recognized as Lichenstar. Her heart skipped a beat, and she dived into the undergrowth to hide. She was prepared to run, when she heard these words:

"_**The Bond meant for evil will succeed in its plan. But, led by the shy Willow, who was bruised by the Bond, the evil plan will be destroyed."**_

Willowwind's eyes widened. A StarClan prophecy about an evil Bond…The blue she-cat had a terrible feeling that she knew about that Bond. And the "shy Willow"? Willowwind could only assume that that meant her. She was the only one in the clan with the "Willow-" prefix in her name, and she was the only cat to know of the Bond and have nothing to do with it.

"Hmm…A Bond…" she heard Sheepcoat say. "I'm thinking that a Bond means that we'd better be careful about cats that form alliances with other cats from other Clans or even rouges and loners. Especially that whole SwampClan/ TreeClan agreement you allowed. You should definitely keep your eye on the SwampClan cats that come in."

"Of course," Lichenstar said. "And "the shy Willow?""

"Well, there's Willowwind," said Sheepcoat, causing Willowwind's heart to skip a beat. "Maybe she's the one. She's awfully quiet, and, of course, she has "Willow" in her name."

"I see," Lichenstar muttered, her voice suddenly a bit sinister. "Well, thank you, Sheepcoat. I'll take your advice."

"Yes, my leader."

Willowwind decided now to take her leave. She was afraid of what could happen next.

* * *

Willowwind visited Sheepcoat that evening, afraid and unsure of what to do with herself. The Medicine Cat in question was running through a few of his herbs, his back turned to Willowwind at first.

"Sheepcoat," Willowwind whispered.

The curly-pelted tom turned to Willowwind.

"Oh, hi, Willowwind," he purred in greeting. "You need poppy seeds again?"

"No, not tonight," the she-cat mewed. "I just need to talk to you."

"Is something wrong, my friend?" asked the tom, his eyes suddenly full of concern.

"Yes, Sheepcoat," sighed Willowwind. "I just…I can't talk to you about it."

"What do you mean? Why can't you? You know you can tell me anything; we've been friends since we were kits."

"I know, Sheepcoat, but…I just can't…"

"I promise not to tell anyone, Willowwind."

Sheepcoat came close to Willowwind, nuzzling her shoulder tenderly. Willowwind only felt worse. She didn't want to hide anything from her friend, but she was just so terrified. She brought her muzzle close to his ear.

"Let's go inside," she whispered.

"Alright," agreed the tom. They both went into the Medicine Den and sat close to each other, as the strong scent of herbs filled their noses.

Willowwind swallowed, and glanced outside for a moment. Her lip curled back as she tasted the air. She didn't smell any certain cats nearby, so maybe…just maybe….she could tell Sheepcoat what she knew. Her lips came close to Sheepcoat's ear.

"Sheepcoat, you know why Lichenstar is allowing Crimsonstar and his warriors access to TreeClan's hunting grounds?"

"Why?"

"Because, Lichenstar is-"

"What are you doing out here, Willowwind?"

Willowwind took a sharp breath. Her pupils narrowed into quivering slits. As she pulled away from Sheepcoat, she counted down the seconds until she felt pain, because she knew it was coming. There stood Lichenstar, staring at Willowwind intensely with her wild amber eyes. Willowwind stared back at her, her heart about to burst from her chest.

"I've been looking for you," continued the leader. "I need to speak with you right away."

"…I…I wish I could, Lichenstar…but I was just…getting poppy seeds from Sheepcoat," lied Willowwind as she shivered in terror. "I really need to get some sleep."

"I want to speak to you, now, Willowwind," Lichenstar repeated, this time slowly, and threateningly.

"Leave her alone, Lichenstar," Sheepcoat said, hanging close to his friend protectively.

"Sheepcoat, we have no time for you to act upon your silly childhood crush."

Willowwind could feel Sheepcoat heat up under his fur. The tom's lips flickered up as he bared his teeth.

"Just leave us alone," he warned.

"Or what, Sheepcoat?" the calico spat. "Or should I say…Half-Clan cat?"

Sheepcoat's eyes moistened slightly at the reminder of her mixed blood.

"I'll fight you if I have to, Lichenstar. You've given me as much trouble as you gave Willowwind when we were kits. I'm not going to let you keep hurting me."

Willowwind was envious of Sheepcoat's bravery. She was so glad to have a friend like him.

"We shall see, Sheepcoat," purred Lichenstar, amused at his futile attempts to scare her. With that, she walked off. "I request your appearance near the river tomorrow, Willowwind."

Sheepcoat glared after Lichenstar, breathing hard and trying to hold back tears. Willowwind looked at the tom, and, in a caring gesture, she placed her paw on his. Sheepcoat turned to her, and gently touched her nose with his.

"Sheepcoat, everything will be fine…" she said, but she had doubts about herself. "I…I think I'm gonna leave here."

"What? No!" Sheepcoat gazed into her eyes in disbelief. "If you go, I'll have no one!"

"You…you'll still have Colddew…"

"She's in MistClan, Willowwind, and I don't even see her much anymore. You're the only cat I have left."

Willowwind looked away, closing her eyes, which were now moist with tears.

"This hurts me as much as it hurts you, Sheepcoat…" she told him. "You're all I've got, too…"

"Why won't you stay with me?" asked the Medicine cat as he slumped down on his rump.

"Well, I might as well tell you now. I heard you talking to Lichenstar about that prophecy. I know it has to do with me, and so does Lichenstar. Now, before we were interrupted, I was going to tell you about Lichenstar. One night, I was going out for a little walk. It wasn't until I passed a patch of bramble bushes when I heard her talking to other cats. Then I heard other voices, like Harestomp and Gingerflecks. I didn't care at first, and I was about to head in another direction when I heard Crimsonstar. I also heard Ridgedstone and Hazelpad of GrassClan, and Hollowstump of MistClan. I heard them talking about forming a pact. Lichenstar and Crimsonstar would pair up SwampClan and TreeClan, and would then attack the other Clans. After that, Lichenstar and Crimsonstar would join together and rule the four Clans. They caught me listening in on their conversation, and they attacked me. I was beaten for what seemed like forever, and they threatened to kill me if I told. But now that they know about that prophecy, I'm as good as dead anyway. They'll kill me to make sure I don't try to ruin their plans. That's why I have to leave."

Sheepcoat gazed at Willowwind with sympathy and sadness.

"My dear Willowwind," he mewed softly. "I…I never could've guessed that Lichenstar could've allowed something so cruel to happen to you. I'm…I'm sorry…"

"You had nothing to do with it, Sheepcoat," muttered Willowwind. "You don't have to be sorry."

"You're my friend, and I care about you very much."

Willowwind felt warm under her fur, and looked down. Her paw was still touching his. She smiled ever so slightly, but it faded when she saw scars on Sheepcoat's wrist, just like on hers.

"You've been cutting?" she asked. "So have I."

Sheepcoat looked away, his ears flattening.

"Y-Yeah…I've been depressed lately. I miss my sister. I wish I could've been a full-blooded TreeClan cat."

"But…then you wouldn't want to spend time with an egghead like me."

Sheepcoat looked into Willowwind's eyes again.

"I wouldn't say that…" he said, giving her a slight smile. "You know what?"

"What?"

"If you're leaving, I'm leaving too."

"Sheepcoat-"

"Willowwind, we'd work well together. Two misfits, hated by our Clan. We could break out of this nonsense."

"But, what about that prophecy?"

"Prophecies only state what could be, not what should be."

"I suppose…"

Sheepcoat rubbed his pelt against hers.

"We should leave now so that they won't be after us."

Willowwind nodded, and with that, they both headed out. What they both didn't realize what that their conversation had been listened to.


End file.
